“The times that he has (started) he has been the player of the game,” Aranda said after practice Wednesday. “His playmaking ability has been off the charts.

“That is all you can ask for really as a coach, is that you put someone out there (and) they make the most of that time.

“Conor is a great example of that and I’m a big fan of his.”

O’Neill has generally split time with junior Derek Landisch. O’Neill started two games – against Tennessee Tech and Purdue. Landisch started against Massachusetts and Ohio State. Ethan Armstrong started against Arizona State.

O'Neill recorded a team-high nine tackles against Tennessee Tech and had five, tied for the No. 2 mark on the team, against Purdue.

Although he did not start at Ohio State, O’Neill finished second on the team in tackles with seven.

He is second on the team in total tackles (25) and is tied for second on the team in solo tackles (14).

Landisch, who missed two games because of an ankle injury, has five total tackles.

“I think between Conor and Derek,” Aranda said, “that rover linebacker spot will be a productive spot for us.”

Scary moments: Jake Rademacher, a redshirt freshman linebacker from Kettle Moraine High School, was injured at practice Wednesday and taken away by ambulance.

According to Aranda, the move was precautionary and Rademacher was complaining of neck stiffness after getting caught in a pile of players fighting for a loose ball after a fumble.

LSU update: the UW Board of Regents is scheduled to discuss the proposed UW-LSU football game in 2016 at Lambeau Field.

The game is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 3. UW opens the 2014 season against LSU on Aug. 30 at Reliant Stadium in Houston.